I have had some quality time with the MacBook tonight and made some progress with regards to getting it to work how I want. It is difficult to shake off the shackles of Windows and I have made some allowances for this by copying some classic Windows techniques.
First up was to use CMD-L to create shortcuts of my most used applications on the desktop. The dock is quite nice, but I’m not a fan… yet.
I then used a hack to move the ‘x’ button etc. and make them work the way Windows does. I don’t believe that the Mac setup for minimising etc. is as natural as Windows.
Setting up my MS Exchange email account has been a real chore, but Entourage eventually came to the rescue (after ,much messing around) and I am starting to really like it. Very like Outlook, but with a style that offers more than a nod to Mac OS.
The hardware is a bit of a puzzle as well; I love the quality components and the keyboard, but the trackpad needs time to get used to. Two finger scrolling is excellently implemented, but I keep zooming in and out accidentally- I don’t want to turn any of the functions off so will persevere until I master it.
iPhoto is a revelation to me- so simple and so intuitive. I also like iCal, but had to give it up for Entourage due to the MS Exchange problem.
Finding a replacement for the wonderful Paint.net has not been easy, but Gimp appears to be the favourite at the moment.
OpenOffice is cleanly laid out and quite easy to use, but Bean offers some extra features and a clean layout which is perfect for my freelance work.
After only 2 days I am starting to ‘feel’ the Mac and can understand why Windows feels so lifeless to long time Mac users. I’m still no fan, but am expecting to be one soon…
Minimising windows and show desktop shortcuts, there are 2 used by many mac users, in Exposé (inside system preferences) change the top left active corner to ‘All Windows’ and the top right corner to ‘Desktop’
Now move your cursor out into either the top right or top left, see how quick it is
Also check out ‘Spaces’ (next to Exposé) its pretty cool.
Checkout ‘Thunderbird’ it works on exchange, but better still is IMAP, it rocks in Thunderbird, we switched from Exchange to IMAP sometime ago as found IMAP on Thunderbird super fast compared to exchange. Thunderbird has also got tons of addons, calendars etc etc…
check out http://www.pure-mac.com/ for tons of useful apps
Try holding ‘cmd’+'esc’ in Leopard, Frontrow rocks
Searching folders in Leopard can be a bit of a chore for Windows users, but if you double click the folder you want to search then hit ‘shift’+'cmd(apple key)’+'F’ you can search just that folders contents.
Thanks Tariq
I found pure-mac last night- yes, tons of apps!
Thanks for the tip about minimising as well- very useful. Exchange is very quick for me on the iPhone and even in Entourage, and one think I refuse to do is change my email setup to fit and OS:)
Thanks again!
A couple more goodies for your mac:
Nufile:
http://www.growlichat.com/NuFile.php
Allows you to create new files for any program in the finder rather then having to start the application via a right click (ie two finger click on the trackpad – I hope you’ve activated this already!)
Perian:
http://perian.org/
Lets you play almost any video file on Quicktime, except Windows media which you need this for:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/wmcomponents.mspx
Also worth getting VLC if you haven’t already
http://www.videolan.org
As I go through my own list of stuff I’ll post ‘em.
Dave
Here are some tips on navigating in the finder:
http://lifehacker.com/5301914/tweak-your-way-to-a-better-finder
My favourite keyboard shortcuts in Safari:
Cmd R (refresh)
Cmd T (new tab)
Cmd Q (quit application) – this works for all apps.
Anywhere:
Cmd Shft 4 gives you a crosshair – drag this across an area you want to capture and hey presto – instant screenshot!
Shortcuts for ® and ™ symbols:
® – alt R
™ – alt shft 2
To lock the screen like you do in Windows with ctrl-alt-del:
Go to Finder>Utilities>Keychain Access. In the Keychain Access menu at the top, select Preferences, in the General Tab, click Show Status in Menu Bar.
A lock appears in the top bar – click it and select Lock Screen. Activates screen saver. To unlock enter username and password as usual.
Welcome to the Mac
My wife and I switched a few weeks ago after being driven to distraction by various Windows annoyances. It’s so nice to have a responsive machine. I used to shut down my PC and re-boot every morning. Now I just put the Mac to sleep and in the morning it takes all of 2 seconds to be up and running.
I found that Mail was a very nice mail client if you don’t need the power of Outlook. If you want to transfer your mail from Outlook to Mail, check out O2M on the PC.
There are lots of launchers and dock mods available. But if you’re looking for somehing simple, drag your Applications folder to the right side of the Dock. Instant Start Menu.
One of the hardest things is to get used to the Mac shortcut key combinations. It’s amazing how automatic things like Ctrl-C get while on the Mac it’s Command-C. There are utilities that let you change the key combinations but I prefer learning the native ones. There’s a little app called KeyCue that will pop up a comprehensive list of combinations available at any time.
Anyway – enjoy!
Bob
Microsoft Exchange Server support is coming for Mail, Address Book and iCal in Snow Leopard – due out in September for the princely sum of $29.